#Apple and climate change

“Apple announced Thursday that its China operations are now 100 percent powered by renewable energy, leaving it carbon neutral in the country. That brings them in line with its U.S. operations, which are likewise run off 100 percent renewable energy.

Rate this:

Share this:

Like this:

LikeLoading...

Related

About acflory

I am the kind of person who always has to know why things are the way they are so my interests range from genetics and biology to politics and what makes people tick.
For fun I play online mmorpgs, read, listen to a music, dance when I get the chance and landscape my rather large block.
Work is writing. When a story I am working on is going well I'm on cloud nine. On bad days I go out and dig big holes...
View all posts by acflory

I haven’t used an Apple product since the mid 80’s when our family business bought one of the first Macintosh computers. The idea of having a graphic interface was nice…if you knew what each icon was meant to represent, but I found it a lot faster to use DOS commands. Yes, now there is proof positive that I’m ancient!
Long story short, I didn’t like them then and I don’t like them now so I won’t be buying their products either, green or not green. But I do dislike them less. 😀

I’d like to be thrilled by this bit of news but my natural sceptic wonders about details… details… and how Apple quantifies the 87%. However, my look on the bright side self thinks at this stage of the game any concession to clean and green is worth something 🙂

I may be the only Apple person in your circle. (From my first computer on… nothing by Apples) This switch makes me proud, but there is a glitch (isn’t there always) on NPR (U.S. National Public Radio) yesterday, the business report included a big potential problem. The electrical grid in China may not be able to handle the switch and other solar experiments are just sitting there in a coal driven economy. Hopefully, they will fix the problems and, as the report I heard said, other manufacturers in China will follow suit and move from coal to solar power.

Meh….two steps forward, one step back. 😦 But at least China is actually conscious of the need to move from a carbon economy so will do something about it. If the Three Gorges project is anything to go by, it will be big and drastic, but also effective. I just wish the current Liberal govt here could see the writing on the wall. The PM [Prime Minister] can, but he’s tied hand and foot.:(

Some years ago I subscribed to an ethical consumer magazine. Apple was crap in various levels of scoring.

Trouble is, I do like them. Used them years back as a journalist and all the decent graphic designers I worked with used them too. I’m not interested in the add-ons, it’s the basic simplicity, speed, and total design that I like. Hardware is unreliable too 🙂

Would I still buy more? Yes. Because I can’t bear Microsoft. It is so turgid it is beyond belief. I like fast. And top of the range Apple does fast and simple. Each to our own. I guess they programme built-in obsolescence. Although maybe the keyboard sticking could be due to dust and dog fur?

Well it’s eight years old so I’m just biding time until I buy a new one really. I’ve worked out what model I want, I just don’t want to pay for it. Going back to a desktop though, I like the bigger screen, even though I got a 21″ laptop last time. They don’t make that size anymore anyway. I could get the keyboard cleaned but might as well put the money towards the new one.

I’ve got two laptops, macbookpro and an HP. I didn’t get the Mac as a portable, rather more for the fact I don’t have much space in the flat. The HP is light but, well, it’s Microsoft. I’ve also lost the battery …
The only remotely ‘game’ thing I do is a speed-related word quiz on sploofus. I justify this on the grounds it’s words so therefore work-related 🙂 I went from using a mouse with the DT, the whatever it’s called on the LT and use fingers on touchscreen iPad now. Each time I’ve changed, I’ve got back up to the previous speeds so I think it’s a question of practice and adjustment with the main priority being eye/finger co-ordination.

Yes and I don’t think Apple is alone. I remember reading about another big corp. not long ago, but of course my stupid brain can’t remember which one. 😦
Anyway, the optimist in me hopes this is a real sign of things to come.

Still, as far as i know, their PCBs may contain materials that are harmful.
Yes, their offices might be carbon neutral but there was a report that their machines aren’t as much. I haven’t munched on an apple pcb to know for sure btw, don’t want to brake my mac. I just put some stickers on it…
And i’m not so sure on how good those policies are. I mean google is also telling that it’s trying, but what they are measuring is also including scrubbing factories near by or something like that. Their compounds are emitting some carbon, but they are paying for the operation of a clean energy unit near by? or some unit that sucks air and rids it of carbon.

Hmm…yes, or perhaps they’re buying carbon credits as well, but at least they are making an effort. I guess innovating materials and processes to truly reduce carbon will only happen when it’s also the most cost effective solution.